The Thousand Miles
by LunaTheMoonGaurdian
Summary: The time for the annual selection for the candidates of the Thousand Miles comes around yet again. When five Waddle Dees are selected to go through the long journey, they wonder what will lay ahead of them. This is my OC's origin story, so if you despise OCs, then please do not read this story. This story is rated T for violence and dark themes.


**The 1,000 Miles**

**By LunaTheMoonGaurdian**

The pink-yellow sun rose over the humble Unicus Village. The massive, beautiful waterfall that was tucked behind the village shimmered in the dawn. The lustrous rose quartz cliffs gleamed even more due to all of the radiance. It was a simply marvelous morning.

However, Illusion, one of the residents of Unicus Village, decided not to acknowledge the gorgeous dawn. Instead, she decided to sleep in through the morning. Illusion would have easily dozed until the afternoon if it wasn't for the fact that her sister, Trance, literally kicked her out of the straw bale that she slept on.

As she raised her face up off of the worn-out brown carpet that they had for a floor, Illusion snapped, "Hey! What was that for?"

Trance rudely replied, "It's time to get up!" After a second, Trance muttered, "Idiot."

Illusion shouted, "What do we have to get up for? And why did you call me an idiot?!"

"You seriously forgot? I think that I need to take you to the local healer."

Illusion, who was obviously irritated by Trance, muttered, "Can you just tell me what I forgot already?"

"It's the day that the five new candidates for the Thousand Miles are selected! Duh!"

Illusion facepalmed in the fact that she forgot the most important event of the year in her village. She silently left her room to eat her breakfast, which was already sitting on the wooden table in her house's kitchen. She was too fed up with her sister to deal with her today. As she paced through the narrow corridor of her small home, her mind shifted to wondering about the Thousand Mile's new candidates for this year. _I really wonder who's going to be selected this year. There's only twelve Waddle Dees in this village that haven't matured yet, so I have a good chance of being selected._

Meanwhile, a young Waddle Dee named Cloud jovially woke up to the rising sun. He swiftly bolted out of his wool bed into his house's wide hallway. However, his mother's loud voice stopped his hasty trip down the hallway.

Cloud's mother, Melody, shouted, "Hey! Don't run in the hallway, or you'll break something!"

Her loud voice boomed throughout the decorated corridor. Cloud could easily hear his mom's voice even though he was in the other side of the hallway. "Okay! I'm going to my sister's room," yelled Cloud.

Cloud walked the rest of the way to his sister's room. Since the door to his sister's room broke a while back due to Cloud breaking the hinges that held it in place, he could walk in without knocking. However, Cloud couldn't find his sister anywhere.

Cloud worriedly called out, "Symphony! Where are you?"

Cloud's older sibling, Symphony, came in the room just as he shouted for her. Symphony, in an attempt to comfort her younger brother, lovingly stroked the top of his head and said, "I'm right here, Cloud. I'm right here."

Cloud felt the stroke instantly, and he quickly noticed his sister behind him. He always loved the presence and comfort of Symphony.

Cloud shouted, "Symphony! You're all right! I was scared that you were eaten by a giant monster!"

Symphony replied, "I wasn't eaten, silly. And I won't be gone anytime soon."

Cloud mumbled, "I hope it'll stay that way." He quickly rushed to his sister's arms without looking back. He was glad that Symphony was back.

Then, the two Waddle Dees swiftly bolted out of Symphony's room and down the nearby wooden stairs to the vast kitchen of their home. They noticed the scent of their favorite breakfast dish upon entering the kitchen.

Symphony's stomach rumbled as she said, "Mom! Did you cook pancakes today?"

Melody replied, "Yes, ma'am!"

Symphony said excitedly, "Yay! They're my favorite!"

Cloud added, "I hope you put syrup on them! That always makes them yummy!"

Both of the Waddle Dees scurried to the granite table eagerly for their breakfast. The white tile floor of the kitchen was recently mopped, so the siblings had to watch their every step. When they had made it to the table, they instantly sat on the cushioned chairs knowing that their breakfast would be handed over to them at any moment. Their wish was granted when Melody put down a plate with five fluffy pancakes stacked upon it in front of both of the Waddle Dees. Cloud was hasty to grab the container of maple syrup that sat in the center of the table.

When Melody saw her son grab the syrup, she shouted, "Cloud! Don't pour too much-"

However, it was already too late. Cloud had poured all of the container's syrup onto the pancakes. The syrup gradually cascaded down the tower of pancakes like a particularly slow waterfall to the plate at the bottom of the stack.

When Symphony saw the huge quantity of syrup on Cloud's stack of pancakes and the empty container beside it, she murmured, "Oh well. I didn't want any maple syrup anyway..."

Cloud hastily scarfed down each of his fluffy pancakes. He was finished before Symphony and Melody ate a single pancake.

Then, out of the blue, Cloud asked, "What's this Thousand Miles that we have to come to today?"

Melody replied, "Well, the event today is the selection for who starts their journey through the Thousand Miles this year."

Cloud was obviously still confused. "Well, what's the Thousand Miles?"

"The Thousand Miles is a special journey through five lands. When you finish the Thousand Miles, you'll be called a grown-up!"

Cloud was eager to hear more. "What happens when you grow up?"

"Your appearance changes, and you get a new power!"

"Cool, but what does 'apperance' mean?"

"Appearance is what you look like."

Cloud was more thrilled to go through the Thousand Miles than ever before. "Awesome! Hopefully I'll become blue! I'm tired of my orange skin."

Symphony suddenly chimed into the conversation. "What power do you want, Cloud?"

Cloud instantly thought about his idol when his sibling brought up the question. "I want to be just like Kirby! Then I can turn into a bunch of different things!"

Symphony said, "I remember that there's one thing that you don't like about Kirby."

Cloud replied, "Oh yeah. I don't like the color of him. Why does Kirby have to be pink? Pink's a girly color."

Symphony teased, "Nova chose that color because pink's better than blue!"

"Hey! Blue will always be better!"

"I'm just pulling your leg. Blue's a pretty color."

The two Waddle Dees glanced at their finished meal. They felt the urge to work off some of their meal by playing a fast-paced game of catch. Cloud, who wanted to satsify that urge, went to the mudroom and grabbed their semi-worn ball that they always played catch with.

Cloud eagerly smiled in pure excitement. "Can we play a game of catch?"

Symphony responded, "Sure!"

The two siblings then made their way through the cramped space of the mudroom to their backyard, which Symphony commonly referred to it as a slice of paradise. The backyard had lush, green grass and a colorful garden. The patio was luxuriously furnished as well. In the heart of the backyard, there was a large, elegantly sculptured fountain that was made from the rose quartz that made up the cliffs surrounding the village. The paths in the backyard were made of that same mineral as well.

The siblings swiftly dashed to the green grass of their backyard. They innocently laughed for a second, and then Cloud proceeded to throw the ball. Symphony quickly caught it and threw it back at Cloud. He barely caught it in his hands. He threw the ball again. The game of catch continued on, with the siblings laughing innocently as they threw their ball back and forth.

S'more gradually opened his groggy eyes to the tiny ray of morning sunlight that shone through his boulder-covered hole that served as a window. His back was cold from the hard rock floor that he always slept on. He slowly let out a sigh as he recalled what day it was. _It's already time to select the new candidates for the Thousand Miles... I don't know if I'll come to the selection this year. I haven't been in public since my parents perished a few years ago. _A single tear of grief fell down S'more's cheek as he thought about his dead parents. He hadn't been the same since his mother and father died of illness. In fact, he had not uttered a single word, not even to himself, since his family met their terrible fate.

S'more felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he brought himself to his feet. A shadow of loneliness and melancholy trailed behind him as he walked to the old bookshelf that stood near the opening of his brush hut. He pulled out a practially ancient book that had dust all over the cover. S'more was a suprisingly well-educated Waddle Dee despite his less than fortunate state of living. He squinted his eyes as he read the nearly illegible text on the cover. Somehow, he managed to read the book's title. The title read: _Theories About the Origin of Our Universe_. S'more smiled faintly at his book. _I always love to expand my knowledge. It's the only thing I can do with my state of living, besides scrounging for food. _S'more peeked through the opening of his hut. Despite the dark alley that he lived in, he could still see the bright beams of sunlight. The light indicated that the day was pleasant tempature-wise. Knowing that it was sunny, S'more proceeded outside. _I love sunny days. They help to keep my sorrow at bay for a while._

S'more continued down the narrow alley. He noticed the filthiness of the shadowy passage that he inhabited. The earth below his feet was awfully dank. He kept walking until he was at the edge of the alley. The edge dropped down to the lower section of Unicus Village, where the wealthier Waddle Dee families were located. S'more seated himself on the edge and stared at the succesful Marble family's mansion, which was directly below the alley that he lived in. He observed the Marble family's two children in the distance. It looked like they were playing a game of sorts. S'more struggled to remember what their names were. _Hmm... what were their names again? Hmm... Ah! I remember the names now! Their names are Cloud Marble and Symphony Marble. _As he continued to watch the two children, a depressed delight enveloped him. He was amazed at how innocent the children were. _The best thing to be in this world is a pure, innocent child that remains untouched by darkness or evil... Yes, a eager child that is the purest of pure. _He then thought about how he was that innocent child until Death shattered his youth into a thousand pieces by heartlessy slaughtering his parents. _I desperately yearn to pick up those pieces of my youth and put them back together, but I can't. It's impossible, absolutely impossible..._

Illusion and Trance made their way to the selection. The cold, white tile paths that made up the surface of the main bazaar in their village chilled their feet. The weather was pleasant that day, so the village could easily host the selection outdoors. When they got to the wooden makeshift stage that the selection was going to be hosted on, the sisters were shocked to see that a crowd of orange Waddle Dees had already crowded in front of the stage. Illusion decided to count the Waddle Dees that haven't matured to pass the time.

Illusion started to count the Waddle Dees. "There's Trance and I, so that makes two so far... There's Cloud and Symphony, who are the rich kids of the village... There's Mika and Miku, who are the twins, but since they are conjoined twins, they only count as one Waddle Dee... There's Ivy and Rose, my two best friends... There's Hurricane, who is my crush... There's DJ and Scratch, who are the particularly musical Waddle Dees in Unicus Village... And there's Ruby and Sapphire, who are also rich girls. I think I'm done counting now."

However, just as Illusion thought she was done counting, she suddenly noticed one more Waddle Dee that was standing apart from the crowd. She had never seen that particular Waddle Dee in her life.

Illusion pointed to the unknown Waddle Dee and whispered to Trance. "I've never seen that Waddle Dee before. I'm guessing he's poor since I never hang around the poor section of our village."

Trance crudely replied, "No wonder we don't hang around in that section. That guy looks like a smelly-head!"

Illusion sighed at her sister's rudeness. "Stop being so rude..."

Trance gave nothing in response. She didn't respond because the selection was starting.

The host of the selection announced, "Hello! My name is Evergreen, and today, I'm hosting the annual selection for the five new candidates for the Thousand Miles! Are we ready to start the drawing for the selection?"

The crowd anxiously shouted, "Yes!"

Evergreen continued on with the rules for the drawing. "This bowl I have here contains thirteen slips of paper that are marked with your names. We included a new Waddle Dee to the selection at the last minute, so there are now thirteen possible candidates instead of twelve."

Evergreen shook the bowl as the crowd sat in anticipation. She drew out the first slip of paper.

Almost immediately after Evergreen drew the slip, she announced, "And the first candidate is..."

The crowd stared at the host anxiously.

Evergreen picked up where she left off. "...Trance! She is nine years old. Come up to the stage, Trance!"

Trance darted to the stage. Once she got up onto the wooden platform, she blew raspberries at all the Waddle Dees in front of her.

Evergreen noticed the immature thing that Trance was doing. "Stop making those vulgar noises, Trance!"

However, Trance didn't stop. Instead, she decided to blow raspberries right at the host.

Evergreen, who was tired of the first candidate's immaturity, said, "We'll continue now."

The host drew out the second slip. The crowd waited even more nervously than before in fear that if they were chosen, they would be called 'smelly-head' for the whole entire journey.

Evergreen announced, "The second candidate is... Symphony! She is eleven years old. Come up onto the stage, Symphony!"

Symphony briskly walked to the stage. When she was on the stage, she smiled eagerly and waved her stubby orange hand.

The host was impressed by the second candidate's kindness. She put her hand in the wooden bowl and drew out a third slip of paper.

"The third candidate is... Illusion! She is also eleven years old. Come to the stage, Illusion!"

Illusion trotted to the stage._ Sigh... I wish I didn't have to join my sister, but I do... _Once Illusion was on the stage, she smiled faintly.

Evergreen continued on with the drawing. She drew out yet another slip.

"The fourth candidate is... Cloud! He is only six years old, which makes him a particularly young candidate. Come to the stage, Cloud!"

Cloud excitedly bolted onto the stage. He jumped up in pure glee once he got on the drew out the last slip of paper.

"The fifth and final candidate is... S'more! He is nine years old. Come up to the stage, S'more!"

S'more trudged onto the stage. Once he got on there, he did aboslutely nothing. He didn't even smile. The host was perplexed by S'more's odd behavior.

Evergreen continued with the rules of the Thousand Miles. "So now that all of the new candidates are here, we can go over the goals that you must achieve. First, you have to find your maturity item. The item can be practically anything. This item will give you your new appearance and your new power. Second, you have to find a magaical crystal in each of the five areas you will be travelling through in your journey. These five areas are Respuns Forest, Honos Mountain, Intelligere Ruins, Fager Island, and Perisistere Temple. A mysterious creature will signify what color the crystal will be. Lastly, and this is the most important goal, you have to be back within four years. If you don't make it back within that time limit, you will be considered as nonexistent by our people. Do you get the goals of the Thousand Miles?"

Trance muttered, "Yeah, yeah. Can we go already?"

Symphony answered, "Yes, ma'am."

Illusion nodded and responded, "Yes."

Cloud eagerly shouted, "Yep!"

S'more only nodded.

"Good. Now we will go to the preperation building to help you get ready for the journey. Follow me!"

The five Waddle Dees quickly followed Evergreen to the preperation building. Illusion glanced at the other candidates. _I wonder what this journey will be like, and I wonder if we're going to make it..._

**AN: Well, that was the first chapter of the Thousand Miles. I'm a little bit nervous because I'm kind of a rookie at writing fanfictions. Constructive criticism is gladly accepted. Review this story if you liked it, and NO flaming! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter!**


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